Serú Girán
| Serú Girán | |
|---|---|
|
Pedro Aznar (right), Oscar Moro (left) |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Buenos Aires |
| Genres | Progressive rock, jazz fusion, Symphonic rock |
| Years active | 1978–1982, 1992–1993 |
| Associated acts | Sui generis |
| Members | |
| Charly García David Lebón Pedro Aznar Oscar Moro |
|
Serú Girán was an Argentinian rock supergroup. From 1978 the group consisted of Charly García (keyboards, synthesizers and vocals), David Lebón (guitars and vocals), Pedro Aznar (Electric and fretless bass and vocals), and Oscar Moro (Drums and percussion). It is considered one of the best in the history of Argentine rock, both musically, and conceptually and staging. Renowned for the virtuosity of its musicians sought.
Contents |
[edit] History
Serú Girán was born after the separation of the band La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros which Charly García had organized in its early post-Sui Generis. Along with David Lebón, Charly García traveled to Búzios (Brazil) in 1978, with the idea of writing material for a new album. On their return to Buenos Aires, García met the young and prodigious bass player Pedro Aznar. They were then joined by Oscar Moro, who had been drummer in La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros and formerly of the legendary group Los Gatos.
"Billy Bond and the Jets" was formed by Charly García, Billy Bond, David Lebón, Pedro Aznar and Oscar Moro. They released a single disc with tracks like "Discoshock", "Toda la Gente", and "Loco, ¿No te sobra una moneda?". Finally Billy Bond disarms the project and the rest formed Serú Girán.
The beginnings were difficult: it was 1978 and the first album did not convince although it offered public anthems like Seminare and Eiti Leda. The presentation of the band was in a boat over the Riachuelo. What inspired García to this was the revolutionary band "Los Jóvenes de Ayer". In their debut, the quartet was joined by the orchestral collaborations of Daniel Goldberg, who recorded with 24 musicians in USA.
The official presentation of the debut album "Serú Girán" was held in Estadio Obras Sanitarias on November 3 in 1978 with a orchestra of 24 musicians (string section and wind) and closed circuit television. In the back of the stage, a giant screen showing addressing the musicians on stage. Lebón, Aznar and came dressed Moro all in white, while Charly chose a black mesh bag and slippers. The beginning of the recital, with the full orchestra playing the powerful Introducing the item Serú Girán, presaged an unforgettable night. It was not well. When they played the song Disco Shock-a satire of disco music, so in vogue at the time, the audience was taken aback because he thought it was serious. Amid a chorus of whistles, began García ask the Blues lift, the subject had written with occasion of the departure of Sui Generis. The rest of the concert went to general indifference. People did not understand the message or not Serú was known to express it.
[edit] La grasa de las capitales
A year later, came La Grasa de las Capitales ("Grasa" means "fat" in spanish, but in Argentina it's a regionalism meaning the vulgarity, and it was a criticism of the 80's argentine society) with a change in the theme score for the album: the songs are more direct instruments ring in a close without the addition of strings. "Viernes 3 A.M." (Friday 3 A.M,) and "Noche de Perros" (Dog's night) are the highest peaks of genius denoting Serú Girán second release. "Viernes 3 AM" would be censored by the argentine dictatorship for a time on the radio because it was considered a song that incited suicide. This album was the one that catapulted Serú Girán as one of the groups most popular of the time in Argentina.
The official release of "La Grasa de las Capitales" held in great number of functions in September and October 1979 in Buenos Aires Auditorium (Ex - Kraft).
[edit] Early '80s: Bicicleta (album) and success
In 1980, saw the light Bicicleta ("Bycicle"), an album that told with delicate and admirable accuracy the reality of a political era not easy under the dictatorship:"Canción de alicia en el país" y "Encuentro con el diablo" are the songs that best described that social reality. In Canción de Alicia en el país, Charly García paints Argentina's reality through metaphors that the censors did not came to grasp. Also contains Charly García's nostalgy in songs like A los jóvenes de ayer and Mientras miro las nuevas olas.
Disk-name Bicicleta -which originally had proposed Charly the group but rejected by the rest- was officially launched at the stage Works, 6 and 7 June 1980. In the stage was wheeled bicycle, rabbits and flowers, which drew public and media attention, being the first group had some sort of concern about the staging. Serú Girán had delegated scenic responsibility to Renata Schussheim, an old friend of Charly. From Bicicleta Serú Girán began with his great shows.
A month later, in August 1980, were presented at the Monterrey Jazz Festival of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). In general, the Argentine going to the festival were more related to jazz or rock tango Serú proposed progressive.
That year the concert was divided: In the first part, presented Serú Girán, American guitarist Pat Metheny and George Duke.
The success of the Argentine was such that the organizers would offered back to play in the second-major-with John McLaughlin, Hermeto Pascoal Egberto Gismonti and the group Weather Report. García remembers:
When McLaughlin was playing, people skated and threw airplanes paper. I want to die! McLaughlin If you did that, to us hatched. "
However, this prediction was wrong. The main reason favorable response lay in the variety of nuances in the songs, some, with a cadence that invites to dance.
In this festival, Aznar met Jaco Pastorius[1]
On December 30, 1980, the supergroup provided in a historic La Rural free concert, by the state channel ATC, organizer of the series "Music prohibited for adults. " Serú Girán collected more than 60,000 people, was the Argentine first group that brought the crowds.
[edit] Peperina, "No llores por mí, Argentina (álbum)" and the end
Peperina was marked by the excellent and impeccable compositions such as Llorando en el espejo, Esperando Nacer, Cinema Verité and Peperina. The official presentation of the disc was held at Obras Sanitarias on 4, 5 and 6 September 1981. The album cover was designed by Clota Ponieman, with photos picked by him and Charly.
When Aznar decided to leave the band to study at Berklee, Serú organized a series of recitals to give him a farewell. Serú Girán's future was uncertain. At beginning of 1982, the disc recorded in these concerts, No Llores por Mí Argentina, was one of the best selling ones in that year. The homonymous title became almost an anthem, and other songs like En la Vereda del Sol, Cuánto tiempo más llevará and Eiti Leda made of this record an essential album.
Later this year, the confrontations of García, Lebón and Moro (in particular the first two) on how to reeplace Aznar and the group's future made the band dissolve.
[edit] The return:'Serú 92
Many years and solo work had to pass until Serú Girán was present again. García, Moro, Lebón and Aznar met to edit Serú' 92. With the return of Serú, presentations were made in Rosario Córdoba (in stage Chateau Carreras), Montevideo (Centennial Stadium) and in Buenos Aires with 2 performances on the stage of River Plate, the latter to about 160 thousand people in total. The return of Serú marked a record long ago unthinkable: a local band playing at River Plate Stadium.
[edit] The death of Oscar Moro
Oscar Moro died in July 2006, the victim of a stomach hemorrhage.
In late March and early April 2007 Pedro Aznar and David Lebon met for a series of concerts in the theater ND Ateneo. In the fifth concert (Friday, April 6), Charly García showed up as a surprise guest to play Seminare.
On July 26, 2007, a year after the disappearance of Oscar Moro, it concert gathered many rock stars, as a tribute, in which Charly García and Pedro Aznar,"Desarma y sangra" (blew apart and bleeding),"Encuentro con el Diablo", Mientras miro las nuevas olas ("While I look the new waves") and "Esperando nacer" ("waiting to be born")
On April 30, 2010, near midnight, David and Pedro were guests on the latest of a series of recitals that Charly gave at Luna Park that year. They played "Seminare". The meeting was really surprising and a big emotional charge. Charly at the end of the issue, also asked for applause for Moro.
[edit] Studio albums
| Year | Disc | Discography |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Serú Girán | Music Hall |
| 1979 | La Grasa de las Capitales | Music Hall |
| 1980 | Bicicleta | SG Discos |
| 1981 | Peperina | SG Discos |
| 1992 | Serú '92 | Sony Music |
[edit] Live albums
| Año | Disco | |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Yo no quiero volverme tan loco | Sony Music |
| 1982 | No llores por mí, Argentina | SG Discos |
| 1993 | En vivo | Sony Music |
[edit] Recopilations
| Año | Disco |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Oro (Serú Giran) |
| 1996 | El álbum |
| 2000 | Viernes 3 a.m |
[edit] Others
| Year | Disc | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Reunión secreta en TMA | improvisación en estudio de grabación (no oficial) |
[edit] Prizes
They waere awarded in the categories:
- Best live group,
- Best Compositor (García),
- Best Keyboardist (García),
- Best guitarist (Lebón),
- Best bassist (Aznar),
- Best drummer (Moro). Disclosure group 1978,
- Best singer (Lebón) 1980 y 1981,
- Best song 1978 (Seminare) y 1981 (Peperina) y
- Best Álbum 1978 (Serú Girán)
[edit] References
- ^ "interview Sandra Commisso for Clarín". Clarin.com. 2009-09-30. http://www.clarin.com/diario/2009/09/30/espectaculos/c-02008852.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
